Israeli soldiers' boots in the pulpit of Masjid al-Aqsa /PHOTO

Since the Israeli occupation of 1967 for the first time police have entered the Masjid al-Aqsa main compound and stomped through the mosque with their boots.

Middle East

05 Kasım 2014 Çarşamba 16:28

World Bulletin/News Desk

Israel, after forbidding entrance to the Palestinians to pray, have now banned all visitors from entering Masjid al-Aqsa. At the same time Palestinian officials have stated that the Israeli settlers have been allowed to enter by the Israeli police.

Since the Israeli occupation of 1967 for the first time police have entered the Masjid al-Aqsa main compound and stomped through the mosque with their boots.

Azzam al-Khatib, the Director for the Muslim Endowments said that “Almost 300 soldiers stormed Masjid-al Aqsa. A portion of these soliders stormed the mihrab with their army boots directly on the mihrab and the pulpit of the Qibla masjid”.

Saying that this was the first time that they had entered the mosque with their boots since 1967. Hatib stated that “This was a very dangerous step. This hasn't been done before. It is completely unaccetable. Israel will deal with the consequences.”

Qibla Masjid

The imam on Fridays uses this part of the mosque named the Qibla masjid because it is located on the Qibla side of the mosque and contains two niches and so the congregation pray starting from that point.

The point where the altar is a pulpit from the time of Salahuddin Ayyubi – destroyed by Israeli's in 1969 and after 38 years a similar pulpit was built by Turkish crafts masters and replaced in 2007.

Masjid al-Qiblatain in Jerusalem has a special place for Muslims as the first direction of prayer. The Jews, holding the belief that the Masjid al-Qiblatain as well as the Dome of the Rock that contains a museum, theological school and a large quadrangle, have started excavations underneath claiming that remnants of Solomon's temple.

Israel arrests 8 Palestinians

Israeli forces arrested four more Palestinians Wednesday afternoon following clashes in East Jerusalem, the Israeli police have said.

Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Twitter that Israeli forces had arrested four Palestinians while dispersing a protest near Jerusalem's Old City, bringing the total number of Palestinians arrested by Israel on Wednesday to eight.

Israeli forces also detained four other Palestinians during clashes with Palestinian protesters inside the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex earlier on Wednesday.

Eyewitnesses said a Palestinian security guard had been among those detained by Israeli forces inside the mosque complex.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.

In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.